OTTAWA — The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) currently has more than 10,000 removal warrants that have been active for over a year. This comes despite the agency reporting that removals are at an all-time high. According to CBSA statistics, there are over 33,000 removal warrants in total within the agency's inventory. In the past year, more than 22,000 individuals have been removed from Canada.

As of October 31, nearly 30,000 removals were reported as "in progress." CBSA Vice-President Aaron McCrorie noted that the agency deals with a continuous influx of individuals entering the country, including returning citizens, tourists, and asylum seekers. Most individuals deemed inadmissible to Canada are barred for not adhering to the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, which can include temporary residents who violate their permit conditions. McCrorie stated that only 2.2 percent of those deemed inadmissible are barred due to criminality.

In the last year, over 70 million people passed through Canadian ports of entry. McCrorie explained that some of these individuals may be declared inadmissible and may not comply with the requirements to leave the country. "It’s a constant dynamic in terms of new people entering our inventories," he said in an interview from Rigaud, Quebec. "Most people comply, but some don’t."

Information obtained from an order paper question by Conservative immigration critic Michelle Rempel-Garner revealed that over 10,000 removal orders have been active for more than a year. The CBSA employs about 550 inland investigators to locate individuals with warrants. McCrorie mentioned that the number of investigators fluctuates based on overall risk, as the CBSA also addresses drug trafficking and facilitates legitimate cross-border traffic and trade.

Police across Canada have access to CBSA warrant information. McCrorie noted, "There are many instances where the police will apprehend somebody at a traffic stop who’s got a warrant and then they’ll turn them over to us, or we’ll get a lead or a tip from the public that would allow us to do an inland investigation and track somebody down."

The CBSA reports that it removes approximately 400 individuals from Canada each week, while new warrants are continuously added to the inventory. During a recent appearance at the House of Commons national security committee, McCrorie likened the execution of removal warrants to "trying to bail water out of a bathtub with the tap running." He added that in the last two fiscal years, 9,500 warrants were closed, while 7,000 new ones were added.

In October, the federal government announced plans to hire 1,000 additional CBSA officers over the next three years to ensure that individuals with the appropriate skills and backgrounds are recruited and trained.